Fix: Can’t Import Videos on PowerPoint

Wondering why you can’t import videos on PowerPoint?

Microsoft PowerPoint is the leading presentation program for Windows and other platforms. It has been around since 1987 and has owned most of the market share since then. 

Despite being on top, this doesn’t save PowerPoint from unexpected issues and occasional downtimes. Like any other software or platform, PowerPoint is also vulnerable to bugs and glitches. 

One of the main issues you’ll face on the platform is videos that refuse to import. 

If you need to add some visuals to your presentation, you might run into this problem, which will get in the way of your workflow. 

Based on what we know, video import issues on PowerPoint are usually caused by incompatible or unsupported file formats. However, it can also be due to corrupted video files, outdated software, or missing codecs. 

Today, we will show you what to do if you can’t import videos on PowerPoint. 

Let’s dive right in!

1. Restart Your Computer. 

Before making any changes to your system, try restarting your computer first if you can’t import videos on PowerPoint. This should reload your resources and eliminate temporary errors in the process. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key to open the Start Menu
  2. After that, go to the Power Options tab. 
  3. Finally, click on Restart
Restart Windows

Once done, go back to PowerPoint and try importing your videos. 

2. Convert the Video. 

While PowerPoint supports various video formats, we suggest converting your videos to WMV (Windows Media Video) before importing them in your presentation. This should ensure that the video you’re trying to add is fully compatible. 

You can use any software to convert your video but ensure that you convert the file to .WMV or Windows Media Video. 

3. Check Your Files. 

There are instances when the video you are trying to add is corrupted. If this is the case, you’ll definitely encounter issues when importing it to PowerPoint. Your download may have been interrupted, or an error occurred while copying the video to your computer. 

To confirm this, launch the File Explorer and go to the location of the video you are trying to add. From there, play the video and see if you’ll encounter issues. 

If the video is not playing, it means that the file is corrupted or broken. Redownload the video to your computer and try again. 

4. Update Windows. 

If you’ve just updated to Windows 11, chances are the version you’re currently using has an underlying issue. To address this, we recommend updating your system to patch bugs and glitches. 

Here’s how you can update Windows: 

  1. On your keyboard, hit the Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
  2. Inside the Windows Settings, click on Windows Update in the side menu. 
  3. Finally, click on Download & Install
cant import videos on PowerPoint

Reboot your system after the update and check if the problem is solved. 

That ends our guide on what to do if you can’t import videos on PowerPoint. If you have questions, leave a comment below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • John Sixto

    John is a staff writer at Saint and comes from a SAP ABAP development background. He has a Bachelors in IT and has been writing since 2018, with over 500 posts published. He loves to build PCs and has a deep curiosity in understanding how different components and configurations work. John spends hundreds of hours at a time, researching and testing the software and apps, before he proceeds to write about it. LinkedIn X (Twitter) Website

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